Monet

For the first time the most important collection of Monet’s paintings in the world – housed at the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris – have been brought together in one, beautiful volume. Taking the reader on a remarkable journey through Monet’s life and work, it details chronologically the development and themes of Monet’s paintings – the landscapes, seascapes, portraits, figures and silhouettes, and the Giverny paintings including the famous water lilies. It also features the work of his contemporaries and friends, including Manet, Degas, Gauguin, Renoir, Caillebotte, Morisot and many others. It is a fascinating overview of Monet’s life, times and work, and presents more than 100 examples of his work.

Originally a hunting lodge bought by Jules Marmottan in 1882, then a hotel, the Musée Marmottan Monet became a national museum when Paul Marmottan bequeathed his collection of paintings, furniture and bronzes as well as the building to the Academie des Beaux-Arts. It was given its first major work, Monet’s Impression, soleil levant, by the daughter of George de Bellio, collector and friend of the Impressionists. Michel Monet, son of the painter, then bequeathed the works he’d inherited from his father, making it the most important collection of paintings by Claude Monet in the world.